Unflinching Ethiopia Navigating Storm on Nile, Sure Enough to Complete

Fekadu Wubete

Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegen and band of higher officials had currently attended an event organized to conclude the lot which was designed to rally support to the GERD(Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam).The event was frenzied and mesmerizing. All had brought GERD lottery tickets with them in case they win and spice up their living.

Drawing the lots of GERD national lottery eying at participating citizens to contribute their own to the construction had ended recently. Lots that worth as much as 10 million Birr had been drawn officially at the hall of National Lottery and the lucky jack pot winner is being awaited to grab  his windfall.

The   aim of the lottery mainly focuses on participating people and building their sense of ownership of the project through popular participation and contribution using GERD lottery as a means(to support the construction). It is worth remembering that the construction has been commended by many countries for being commissioned by Ethiopian citizens only and other domestic financial sources. 

Similarly, Ethio-Egyptian ties is not currently restricted to only the subject matter of Nile and discussions on the GERD. The relation of the two countries is also evolving in to wider horizon of activities related to trade and investment. The two countries are enhancing their joint ventures with time. So far the volume of trade exchange between the two countries has reached over 137  million USD and  activities are being undertaken to further boost this amount to 200  million USD.

To this end, recently over ten Egyptian investors had come to Ethiopia to assess various investment opportunities. So far, over 70 Egyptian companies are known to be engaged in Ethiopia in various fields including agriculture, industry, tourism and real estate construction.

Auspiciously, the publication of the construction of the GERD has initiated Egyptian investors to invest in Ethiopia and strengthen economic ties between the two countries. Undeniably, the commencement of the construction of the GERD has evidently initiated firm diplomatic relation between the two countries (compared to frozen relations of the two countries during the defunct regime of Mubarak).

Proud of winning wide popular support at home and abroad, Ethiopia has been employing discussion and cooperation as a lasting principle on the use of Nile and the GERD. Since the inception, nation has been making tireless call to all Nile riparian countries to burgeon cooperation between them and break impasse of Nile cooperation that rooted since colonial time. The congratulatory message and call of nation states that the GERD is being constructed  for the sake of electric power generation only and it has no intention to induce impact on lower riparian countries as the water is made only to rotate turbines and flow back to its natural course,  its volume without being affected.

Nation is also time after time stating that construction on the GERD will not be halted for a second while constructive discussions with all concerned states are going on. Until now, Ethiopia  has unwaveringly adhered to its principle of cooperation, non-significant impact and mutual benefit. Quite sure to see light at the end of the tunnel, unreserved call of the nation to GERD cooperation and mutual benefit will go on. Patience and perseverance wins the race. This tireless call of the nation has started to come to its fruition.

In the contrary, some Egyptian websites and media are continuing their propagation of rumors and gossips in the name of research publication while they are posting unacceptable and biased ‘findings’(unfounded researches and gossips are harmful to the benefit of the peoples of Ethiopia and Egypt).

A case in point, some private websites and media of Egypt are used to distorting the facts about the GERD with a view to gain  readers(scam message being posted on Al-monitor and Al-ahram is worth mentioning).For instance these websites posted  ‘’study  conducted by ‘’Sameh Kantoush, a professor at Japan's Kyoto University who blindly concluded that  the Dam would affect not only the downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan, but also  Ethiopia as well. Indeed, repercussions would also reach the Mediterranean Sea’’.

It brazenly stated that  the ’’Dam, as currently designed, would affect the quality of Egypt’s drinking water and potable water stations, as well as the Egyptian-Sudanese water reserves in Lake Nasser’’. Being negligent and ignorant to the reality, this fabricated publication stated that the impact of the GERD will reach as far to the Mediterranean Sea. However, it did not state how it hurts Ethiopia and its repercussion reach to  water body as big as Mediterranean Sea(while the GERD is being constructed by an acclaimed contractor that is using state-of-the-art design and technology), the scam monger web sites had forgotten the fact that even Egyptian Aswan dam has been standing until to date constructed by obsolete technology.

At home, the construction of the GERD has swollen national pride and it has heralded the capacity of nation to undertake giant projects. Besides, it has motivated citizens to exert unparalleled endeavor and cast out the specter of `` impossible `` which was entrenched and dogging Ethiopians for many years in connection with constructing dams and exploiting Nile.

Witnessing boldly as Ethiopians at home and abroad are the sources of finance to the construction, the project has enabled nation to augment its diplomatic influence in the international arena and challenge cynical donors and discriminatory  financial organizations that had been clandestinely hurting the national interest of Ethiopia for many decades( it is to be remembered that earlier Bretton Woods institutions had served as a bargaining chips to serve  the interests of Egypt and to shelve down electrification projects of Ethiopia on Nile tributaries arising at home).

Walking the walk slightly but surely and boldly, currently nation has said enough with Abay flowing out of its source without any benefit(the songs and hymns that were used to depict Abay as insurmountable monster have now been supplanted by new spirit of motivation that praise Abay as an asset and development endowment).

In this regard, GERD General Manager, Engineer Simegnew Bekele had said that Abay has been uselessly flowing out of Ethiopia since time immemorial. In deed ancient leaders and people of Ethiopia had attempted in vain to harness Abay. However, their effort has been superseded by unparalleled effort and engineering prowess of the current generation that proudly boasts of construction of mega projects and materializing their effort after lapse of many hundred years. It really showed how mighty and lucky the current generation is.

He said that unwavering and irreversible decision of the government to construct the GERD has played a key role to the success gained in the construction. As a facilitator to the present achievement, the government has formulated far-sighted policy and strategy to improve energy supply and accelerate national vision of poverty reduction.

According to him, Ethiopia is striving to forge cooperation on the use of Nile waters based on the laws of trans-boundary rivers. The GERD has not only started to rectify the imbalanced geopolitics and hydro politics attitude of the region that has been planted since long ago but also it has been triggering countries to make continuous diplomatic relation to the betterment of their relation on Nile cooperation and regional integration ( it is worth reckoning how many diplomatic endeavors were made between Addis Ababa and Cairo, tri-lateral and bi-lateral meetings that were held between Ethiopian, Egyptian and Sudanese leaders since the publication of the construction of the GERD and International Panel of Experts(IPEs) submitting their recommendation on the project).

The agenda of Nile water utilization and development is the predominant agenda of  Ethiopia (not only viewed from its major contribution of water to the volume of Nile but also from its desperate need to realize its renaissance and extrication from rock-bottom poverty  through exhaustive utilization of resources). To help enhance this agenda, Ethiopia is striving a lot to significantly publicize its foreign relation policy formulated on the basis of peaceful-coexistence, keen interest on Nile cooperation, development and boosting regional integration.

To this end, nation is reaffirming its existing stance to justifiable use of water and development activities on Nile without any significant impact. It believes that any development endeavor that hurts the Nile water share of other countries is unacceptable and contrary to international water laws that deal with cross-border rivers.

Earlier, tireless diplomatic effort of Ethiopia has enabled to gain the support of Sudan towards the Dam. Tremendous effort has been exerted to publicize about the benefit of the Dam to regional development, integration and make Sudan detach from its deep-rooted stand that was established on colonial agreements.

Likewise, as reflected by the comments of its higher officials and parliamentarians, Egypt has currently showed keen interest to undertake continuous discussions and forge cooperation with Ethiopia. Many Egyptian scholars, leaders and parliamentarians have started to speak well of and in favor of the GERD cooperation and the right of Ethiopia to build dam and utilize its resources (hence, it is possible to say that Egypt has understood the importance of negotiation and cooperation, unlike its previous stand that completely snubbed negotiation with upper riparian countries).

Moreover, Egyptian higher officials have started to accept the truth related to sharing the water of Nile in an equitable manner and commended on the importance of discussion and cooperation. A case in point, President Abdel Fattah  el-Sisi and Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry of Egypt had commented on building consensus and trust between Ethiopia and Egypt(nation believes this acceptable comment should be acclaimed and encouraged to forge mutual ties between Nile riparian countries).

Overall, it could be said that the diplomatic effort of Ethiopia is taking roots in the hearts of Egyptians .On the way to u-turn from its colonial remnant, Egypt is also following the  path of backing cooperation( even though it is reluctant about the water discharge and content of the GERD).Currently, the relation of these Nile riparian countries is going in an encouraging pace and Ethiopia is expressing commitment to strengthen relation and establish cooperation on rock-solid foundation.

Ethiopia’s firm belief is to build the trust of Egypt on the GERD, enhance the modus operandi of mutual benefit, peaceful-coexistence and resolving the impasse on Nile in constructive and amicable way. Activities used to boost the consensus of Nile riparian countries about the GERD will continue, particularly to make Egyptian people understand the fact that the interest of Ethiopia is development and poverty alleviation based on equitable use of Nile water.

It has been confidently expressing its stand on various diplomatic forums about the GERD and its commitment to equitable use of water, mutual benefit and regional integration through electrification and other development activities. Nation understands Egyptian people are far-sighted, rational and cooperative and they are understanding the win-win stand of Ethiopia with time (earlier the defunct regime of Mubarak had mistakenly diverted the attitude of people related to Nile water usage).

Currently, Ethiopia has summoned its strength to navigate the storm on Nile sure enough to surf the right way and finalize the course successfully. Ethiopia will move heaven and earth to fully materialize Nile cooperation and reverse age-old and selfish use of the river (perverted by the propagandists of Mubarak and colonialists of Britain). The activity to strengthen the link with lower riparian countries (including upstream countries) will continue through diplomatic gambit, cultural exchange and people to people relation.

Indisputably, nation will keep on its indefatigable effort to enhance Nile cooperation, win the trust of Egypt and its people, construct the GERD and employ it for development. National call to mutual benefit and equitable use of Nile will continue endlessly parallel to prioritizing development agenda and poverty alleviation  mission (without surrendering to any regional and international hegemony and pressure as has been seen until the start of the construction of the GERD).